Chapter 1349: Ripped Open

The three officers at the front were tall and muscular, one holding a battering ram, one holding a shotgun, and another crouched with a flashbang grenade in hand, ready to throw it at any moment.

Amidst the three, the boss of Xinxin Suo Xing, a 32-year-old professional locksmith, former disciple of the King of Thieves, and a key surveillance target of the community, was peering intently through the anti-theft door's keyhole, expression focused, muscles tensed as if doing this for the first time.

Liu Zhuangshi wore protective goggles, watching the thief's professional demeanor from behind, feeling a bit worried yet unable to show it.

When the three kidnappers rented the house, they deliberately chose this unit with a high-quality anti-theft door. If the locksmith couldn't open the door, the battering ram might not work well and would require several strikes, which would delay things.

The key point was that there was still no movement inside; the observer at the sniper position saw no abnormal activity from the kidnappers via infrared, meaning the kidnappers likely hadn't detected the police's actions yet.

At this moment, a loud door-banging would be a secondary option.

According to the plan, this was already the best possible start.

If the locksmith could successfully open the anti-theft door, the hostage rescue operation would already be half successful.

The remaining half would depend on the sniper and luck.

"Number One has a chance!"

"Number Four has a chance."

In the earpiece came the sound of the sniper taking position.

Liu Zhuangshi took two light deep breaths to calm himself down.

They had no rappelling team today—one reason was the street-facing window being too chaotic, the other was to clear window space for the sniper.

This required our team to enter the house quickly, decisively, and… with a bit of luck.

Liu Zhuangshi glanced back at his team, turned around again, and his breathing had steadied.

The most troublesome part of the operation wasn't the plan, but the various unexpected incidents during execution. Only by handling those well could the operation proceed relatively smoothly. As the detachment commander present here today, even on the front lines, he no longer worried about any surprises.

Jiang Yuan, as a guest soldier, was squeezed far back.

Seeing Mu Zhiyang and Wen Ming pressed tightly against him, wishing to cover his entire front for safety.

Jiang Yuan gripped his Beretta, lowered his head slightly, and awaited a chance to perform.

Not for anything else, just to feel the honor of the police.

Click.

In the silent hallway, the sound of the anti-theft door opening was crisp, like a bodycon skirt being torn open.

All the officers stared at Liu Zhuangshi with fiery eyes.

The officer holding the flashbang grenade quietly pulled open the anti-theft door.

Squeak.

The anti-theft door emitted a harsh, grating sound.

At this moment, many felt a surge of urge to rush in, convinced the kidnappers inside must have heard it.

Liu Zhuangshi suppressed it.

The sniper's opportunity wasn't ideal; best case would be two kidnappers killed simultaneously. If only one could be taken down, the first target should be the kidnapper near the hostage.

Time passed second by second.

The officer holding the battering ram began to feel shoulder strain, and Liu Zhuangshi suddenly raised his hand.

"Go! Directly in!" Liu Zhuangshi didn't count down, nor did he have that chance—he stepped forward, grabbed the hand of the officer holding the flashbang grenade.

Half a second later, a dull gunshot exploded.

Many residents in the neighborhood unconsciously lifted their heads, searching for the direction of the blast.

……

Inside the house.

Zhang Xin Dong sipped tea casually, watching Wu Wei use software to make internet calls, silently learning while whispering in his ear: "Once this call goes through, Yin Feisong will definitely speak to his son. After this, we'll find a chance to kill this kid—specifically, whether during escape or during another call…"

Wu Wei startled, then whispered: "Hai Long Ge said not to kill people..."

"He was fighting in elementary school, stabbed someone seriously in middle school—you think he's giving you a legal lecture? He's been addled by prison." Zhang Xin Dong spoke with the tone of a veteran prison officer: "We cut off the driver's thumb—this is grievous harm, still part of the gang, we also stole cars, and later will need to steal across the border, plus those fake IDs, phone numbers, bank cards you made—multiple charges combined, is ten years even enough to get out?"

Wu Wei looked dazed: "That's not necessarily… not necessarily…"

"If we get caught, you'll likely get a suspended death sentence." Zhang Xin Dong said calmly: "I'm the principal offender, a repeat offender, and you call me boss—I might just get executed immediately. So, if caught, none of us will fare well—the key is not to get caught."

Wu Wei's lips twitched twice: "With a suspended death, you could come out in 20+ years."

"Can you endure that?" Zhang Xin Dong laughed.

Wu Wei indeed shook his head.

"Chop this kid up, and afterward they might not even know who we are. By the time they figure it out, we'll be overseas." Zhang Xin Dong stood up as he spoke, leaned in to whisper in Wu Wei's ear: "The hostage can hear us talking—we've said too much..."

"That's what I said." Wu Wei turned to look at Zhang Xin Dong, then saw Zhang Xin Dong's eyes bulge slightly, followed by his entire head exploding apart.

Pfft.

Wu Wei felt what he heard was more like a fart, visually like a boiled watermelon punched through—red flesh and juice spraying everywhere, plus the white rind hitting the eyes, causing dizziness.

"Damn it!"

Zhong Hai Long shouted, instantly thinking of grabbing the short-barreled hunting shotgun from the rack.

Wu Wei froze, first instinctively wiping his face.

Blood beads clung to Wu Wei's eyelashes, tinting the world red.

Bang!

The wooden inner door shattered on impact—but only half of it broke.

This wasn't like in the movies, nor like training scenarios.

But the frontline officers had no time to react; they shifted sideways, slammed into the door frame, winced through clenched teeth, rolled on the ground, and cleared space.

The officers behind filed in, gun muzzles pointing left and right.

Zhong Hai Long hastily raised his gun.

Wu Wei hurriedly crouched, trying to grab the hostage's bag.

Bang.

Bang bang bang bang...

A string of gunfire, as dense as firecrackers on New Year's Eve.

"Stop!"

"Everyone stop!" Liu Zhuangshi emptied his magazine before shouting loudly.

The police behind him silently stepped forward, passing over the corpses on the ground and began searching the other rooms.

Jiang Yuan also walked in.

What met his eyes was a floor soaked in blood, bodies riddled with holes.

Fortunately, the teenage hostage was crying loudly, making the room feel much more alive.

"The victim is unharmed." The officer who stepped forward to check patted him down, then covered his eyes and carried him straight out of the scene.

The 13-year-old boy trembled like a stray dog.

"They're all dead." Seeing Mu Zhiyang stepped in the blood, examining all three corpses to confirm there was no chance of revival.

Liu Zhuangshi swapped the scorching hot magazine of his 92, slightly lifted his chin, and said: "This is how we do things here."